Re: HTML 4.0 events and DOM requirements draft

On Thu, 17 Jul 1997, Shelley Powers wrote:

> Following from CSS1, global event handlers can be handled within script
> blocks, or linked in from external sources. Specific events for specific
> items can be handled within these blocks, or inline using something like the
> EVENT= attribute. With this approach, making change to a global event
> handler, such as adding an argument to a function that is used by the
> onsubmit event for several forms across several pages would only need to
> occur in one place. Works for CSS1, why not be consistent and apply it to
> events?

I totally agree with these approaches.

Someone countered this approach with the argument that HTML inherently is
interactive content. By the same reasoning, some elements imply visual
presentation, e.g. IMG, OBJECT, yet these do not have to be littered
with stylesheet-/scripting- dependent attributes.

> This would mean listing inline event handlers and probably deprecating them,
> to provide a means of backward compatibility while authors/developers (and
> the tools) make the switch over to the new technique.

Why should we need to deprecated them? The HTML 4.0 is not final, and no
other W3C recommendation specifies inline event handlers. Deprecating them
would mean all compliant UAs have to implement (or stub) them. They should
not be included at all -- period.

> Event handling should be handled within DOM working group, not the HTML
> group.  

Just as HTML didn't handle CSS1.

--
Steve Cheng
elmert@ipoline.com
http://www.ipoline.com/~elmert/

Received on Thursday, 17 July 1997 14:53:00 UTC